Adult and minor American citizens must have a valid U.S. Passport to be granted entry into Mexico and re-entry into the U.S. when traveling internationally. U.S. citizens entering or exiting Mexico by land or sea can use two other forms of passports, the enhanced driver's license or passport card, but passport books are the only international travel document accepted for air travel between Mexico and the U.S.
Enhanced driver's licenses are exactly what they sound like: driver's licenses enhanced with passport information to be used when traveling across the Canadian and Mexican borders by land or sea. Your enhanced driver's license is used just like a passport card, with your personal travel information embedded in the card, which is brought up on a computer screen when scanned at border crossings. Enhanced driver's licenses are only available to residents of Washington, Vermont, Michigan and New York as of 2010.
Passport cards are smaller forms of the passport book. The passport card is the size of a driver's license and fits in any wallet. U.S. citizens find the passport card convenient because it is smaller and costs a fraction of the price of a passport book. Any adult or minor traveler can use a passport card in lieu of a passport book when traveling to Mexico or the U.S. by land or sea.
SENTRI cards are for U.S. or Mexican residents who frequently cross the U.S./Mexico border by land or sea. Only pre-approved residents are given SENTRI cards for U.S./Mexico entry. Designated lanes at border crossings are used by SENTRI card holders for faster border crossing. The SENTRI card is issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. To find out if you qualify for a SENTRI card, you can contact the agency.
